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Venice
The''' Venetians''' have the Power of the Sea. They replace the British. Suggestions and spoilers *Strengths: Good maritime siege capabilities, highly offensive naval rusher/boomer, and strong economy *Weaknesses: Lack of good light cavalry and/or heavy infantry There are two things Venice is well-known for: trade and naval forces. To start off, the cultural bonuses of Venice mean that it is capable of amassing untold wealth so long as its peasants remain productive. Every 100 units of resources in the Venetian treasure will generate 3% back per second. This means that for Venice, buying resources from the market can be a profitable venture, as once new resources are added to the stockpile, they will immediately triger a cumulative effect. This then filters back into another part of Venice's national bonuses: its navy. Not only can Venice spawn light ships from its docks whenever they are built, but Its signature unique unit, the war barge, is in fact a floating fortress: the war barge is a catapult ship that is available one age earlier, with successive upgrades more powerful than the first. In the Imperial Era, they can be upgraded to galleasses. With exceptional range and fire rates, galleasses can be used to defend as equally as it can be used as a siege weapon, but their main drawback is that they are exceedingly slow, so while they can easily sink fleets of fire ships, they can only do so if many galleasses were built. Additionally, its Imperial-Era land unit, the Pavise Arbalest, can entrench itself automatically after three seconds if not attacked and stationary. Trade is of essential importance to the Venetian player: not only is wealth required for the six mercenary units that Venice is able to summon, but it is also essential for its unique units: knights; static defences; and archers. The knightly cavalry line also is akin to that of Byzantium's in that it will last much longer in heated sorties, but Venice will be unable to receive the Conostabli cavalry. Fortunately, being in Italy and with extensive trade routes, Venice has three mercenaries; of which one is truly terrifying: the hashishin. Hashishin are an exact copy of their Muslim counterparts, the fedayeen. CtW guide True to its heritage, Venice unlike other factions starts off with 100 tribute. Use that tribute well, however, as the only way you can generate additional tribute is by controlling Jerusalem or taking someone else's colonies. Note that at the start, there is a war going on between the Byzantines, a coallition between Andalus and Sicily, and the Saracens in Iraq as well. You might be able to benefit from this if you play your cards right. In fact, perhaps being able to act as a "moneychanger" given your 100 tribute could help you earn profit by trading bonus cards between your opponents! There is only one place to go for Venice, and that's the seaside. The Papal States may not appreciate it if you seize the Apennines; they will make you regret it by making you an offer you can't refuse. Thus, one area remains: eastwards into Istria and the rest of the Adriatic, although this area will bring you in contact with the Hungarians. Find a means to keep them off your back (in fact, the Hungarians might well help you pacify the Adriatic), and then expand towards the Holy Land on the backs of your ships — but you must dislodge the Pope, lest the Pope force you into war with Sicily. You might need to be prepared to be excomunicated, but that might be okay given your position on the peripherials of the Christian nation — friends can be found if not bought amongst those who worship Allah five times a day. Westwards into Italy and beyond, there is little headway that you might be able to achieve. Lombardy hosts a supply centre, making it an important asset as does Liguria too, but the rest of Italy and the Alps do not matter much: to the north lies the Holy Roman Empire, cut off from Italy by forbidding mountain passes protected by castles, while in the northwest, the kingdoms of Burgundy and France hold sway. Burgundy could prove to be a useful ally there, but you should be careful — try and find a way of keeping these three factions disunited and at war with one another in order to prevent them from crossing the Trentino and destroying you. Best age(s): All Faction summary *Highly defensive specialist faction focused on naval supremacy and production of wealth. *She Ain't Heavy, She's My Galleass — Galleasses have the most powerful attacks and fastest firing rates, making them useful against all ships and land targets but they are slow. Use them wisely. *Dark Moon Rising — Venice is out there to take cities from the seas. Use Chioggia war barges accompanied by fire boats and barques; heavy ships such as war galleys are not necessary; you only need a fast navy (preferably made of brigantines) to screen your heavy galleys. *Templo Mayor — As Venice receives added tax gains, tax research is vital for the health of the economy. *Mixed Nuts — Customise your army to suit your opponents' weakness. If someone relies on chivalric orders, train hashishin. If the enemy is big on slow-moving melée units, train archers. *Slow And Steady Can Still Win The Naval Race — Forward building docks is a must given how slow galleasses are, but it is well worth it. *Premier League — Build a Marine Arsenal to keep your ships, especially your big galleasses, in working order. The Arsenal will help in constructing ships and keeping them alive. *Down The Line... — Timber is vital, especially if you are going to forward-build docks and heavy galleys. *Go for Gold — Do not neglect your taxation dues, trade and Universities: you need wealth and knowledge to create chivalric orders, archers and your unique units. *Up, Up and Away — Upgrade your units at moment's notice. Also note that with extra wealth, you can use wealth unsquandered in the Imperial Era filling up your universities to train naval gunpowder units, instead of archers and siege machines. *Byzantine Basket Case — Unfortunately, one problem with the siege ship line is that it is made of wood and can't survive an attack by Byzantine phogoboles. In any battle against Byzantium, protect your galleasses at all costs from phlogoboles. Burgundy with its ability to conjure fire boats out of thin air may be your best ally. Settlements: San Marco; Torcello; Cannaregio; Castello; Dorsoduro; San Polo; Santa Croce; Mestre; Dubrovnik; Schio; Fažana; Pula; Bassano del Grappa; Chioggia; Trogir; Rijeka; Lovran; Rabac; Murano; Labin; Medulin; Padua; Asiago; Brixia; Gorica; Trieste; Este; Zara; Split; Bergamo; Verona; Preko; Belluno; Treviso; Rovigo; Piran; Savudrija; Umag; Novigrad; Poreè; Vrsar; Rovinj Leaders: Agnello Partecipazio, Pietro Tradonico, Pietro II Orseolo, Enrico Dandolo, Pietro Gradenigo, Antonio Grimani, Giovanni Dandolo History ::Salve invicta Juditha formosa Patriae splendor spes nostrae salutis Summae norma tu vere virtutis Eris semper in mundo gloriosa. Debellato sic barbaro Trace, Triumphatrix sit Maris Regina, Et placata sic ira divina: Adria vivat, et regnet in pace. ::— National anthem of Venice, "Salve invicta Juditha" by Antonio Vivaldi Venice's past stretches back well into classical history, but the modern city as we know it is far more recent. In Roman times, there were a group of Celtic tribes who settled the northern Adriatic coast of Italy, known to the Romans as the Venetii who would eventually be assimilated into mainstream Roman society as fully-fledged citizens, but it was not to be until the chaotic 6th century AD that the modern city and republic of Venice would fully emerge. Foundations When the Lombards invaded Italy in 568, one of the first cities in their path was Aquileia - a Christian town of long-standing importance, traditionally held to have been founded by St Mark. Many of its inhabitants, fleeing southwards, crossed the sea and settled on the isle of Torcello - the nucleus of the city of Venice. Almost twenty years later, in about 584, those parts of the east Italian coast still in Byzantine hands were organised together as the exarchate of Ravenna - a defensive arrangement against the Lombards. Despite this, Torcello was geographically separated from the Byzantine government at Ravenna, and so the survival of the community was by then largely in their own hands. They became increasingly independent, and in 726 for the first time elected a doge (the equivalent of 'duke', from the Latin dux meaning 'leader'). Disillusion with Byzantine rule over the maritime community grew, yet Byzantine domination of the Venetian lagoon continued until the exarchate of Ravenna was exterminated in 751. An opportunity arose for Venice with Pepin, the son of Charlemagne. The Doges skillfully not only played off the Franks and the Byzantines against one another, but even profitted from it too, leading to a Franco-Byzantine treaty in 814 that guaranteed autonomy for the city-state. As part of both worlds, east and west, perfectly placed between the Mediterranean and the mountain passes up through the Alps into northern Europe, Venice was now poised to make her fortune from trade. Venice expands Early in the 9th century, the doge transferred the seat of rule to two adjacent islands, where the land was a little higher above water level, though in Venice the distinction is a subtle one. To either side of the intervening waterway was a rivo alto ('high bank'), from the which the name Rialto derives, on which the famous market now stands. The growing town however needed prestige, and so Saint Mark, the patron saint of Aquileia (in effect the parent city), was adopted as its patron saint, and the saint's relics arrived in the city in 828, reputedly smuggled in from Egypt. Whatever the actual means (theft of relics wass common in the Middle Ages, but purchase could be equally possible), the arrival of the bones of Saint Mark soon led to the building of the first San Marco cathedral in Venice. The church, rebuilt in the 11th century and subsequently enlarged and altered, has been ever since the proud centrepiece of the city. Empire By the 11th century, Venice was making itself felt in the Adriatic. Expeditions sent out to deter raids by Saracen and Croat pirates soon led to the city-state placing garrisons in ports throughout Istria and Dalmatia, under the communal leadership of merchants and shipping magnates, after the same having blocked all attempts by some families (such as the houses of Partecipazio, Candiano and Orseolo) to establish hereditary rule in Venice. To keep the Alpine passes and the Straits of Otranto free from foreign influence (as any power which could dominate both ends would then have a stranglehold on the Venetian mercantile economy) Venetian influence expanded over the Balkans and Epirus in order to keep the Straits of Otranto free, and also joined the Lombard League in order to preserve the independence of the Italians and limit the power of the Holy Roman Emperor in Italy. The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) would boost Venetian fortunes further: the empire now included parts of Greece and the entire eastern Adriatic coast, but this soon attracted the eye of its rivals: among one of these was Genoa, a new maritime republic that had recently thrown off the Imperial yoke and was now feeling its way around the Mediterranean. Rivalry with Genoa and other maritime republics soon culminated in a series of skirmishes and battles at sea. The gravest of these threats was the Chioggia War (1379-81). Venice's maritime empire came under attack from a coalition headed by Genoa, Padua and Aquileia, with Austrian and Hungarian assistance. Eventually, Venice would win the war, and expanded into Lombardy itself, but this would put it at loggerheads with the Papal States, Milan, Tuscany and eventually France. Decline Three events would eventually destroy Venetian hegemony in Europe. The discovery of the New World and the new overseas empires in Asia and Africa would destroy Venice's economy, while the Italian Wars of the 16th century would eventually destroy its empire in Italy, while the eastern protectorates would be overrun by the Ottomans. The republic would nevertheless retain some semblance of its economic status during the Early Industrial Era, until it was annexed by Napoleon in 1796. Venice would then be passed over to the Austrians after Napoleon, before being annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. References *Historyworld; History of Venice *Venezia.net; The History of Venice Category:Factions Category:Spoiler Category:Catholics